Metal Gear (メタルギア, Metal Gear) is a critically acclaimed series of stealth games created by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami. In the series, the player takes control of a Special Forces Operative (Solid Snake in most games) repeatedly facing off against the latest incarnation of the eponymous superweapon "Metal Gear"; a bipedal walking tank with nuclear launching capabilities. The series is famous as a pioneer of the stealth game genre and for its lengthy cinematic cut scenes and intricate storylines as well as its exploration of the nature of politics, warfare, censorship, genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, loyalty, reality, subjective vs. universal "truths" and other philosophical themes. The initials for the series, MGS (Metal Gear Solid, by which it is also frequently referred) are also the initials for its central themes: "Meme", "Gene" and "Scene".